Improving Oral Health Literacy for Older Adults in Rural Communities

Oral health literacy for older adults living in rural communities continues to be a challenge, despite efforts toward public education. One of the key challenges is reaching older adults who remain vital and active. In an attempt to improve health literacy for older adults in rural communities, a team of health professionals (dental hygiene and social work) developed an intervention which included a presentation on the importance of oral health care. This presentation was showcased at four senior centers within rural based communities in efforts to bring up the oral health literacy levels of the consumers. Knowledge, attitude and behaviors were evaluated at the termination of the program, to assess impact and oral health literacy. Findings revealed that there was some knowledge gained. This presentation will describe some strategies to be used in a rural community to help improve oral health literacy for older adults. An explanation of the steps to develop an educational forum for seniors will be revealed and presenters will identify strategies to assess the impact of an educational forum on oral health literacy programs.